Chapter 30: Crack In Smile
"THIS IS BULLSHIT!" he roared, his voice rattling the walls. "The Beast Hall had already granted me two years of non-service privilege to recuperate from my injuries! And what's with this nonsense about a trade route?! What is 10 silver going to do? This is just an excuse to get rid of me! I won't accept it!"
Zolton didn't even flinch.
The man's ever-present consoling smile remained plastered across his fox-like face, as though he genuinely understood James's pain.
"Well," he said calmly, "first, the Beast Hall has deemed you… 'unworthy' and useless."
Then his tone turned fierce.
"And second… are you trying to frame the Baron for a murder? Implying that this is all Baron Zerek Milti's excuse? Do you know what you are trying to do here?" He deliberately used the name to make it more severe.
At his words, the four armored men beside him shifted a little and gripped their swords with one hand, ready to attack at Zolton's order.
Sera panicked.
"NO! He didn't mean it like that!" she cried out, stepping forward. Her voice trembled, but she forced herself into a deep bow. "He just can't think straight because of the overwhelming news. I'll make sure he doesn't overstep the line again!"
Right now, Zolton carried orders from Baron, the head of the city. So, if he wished, he had the authority to execute people on the spot if the orders weren't followed. And from the looks of it, the men behind Zolton were as strong—if not stronger—than James in his current weakened state.
So if a fight broke out, James would surely die.
Zolton's cold gaze lingered on Sera for a moment, then curved into a slow, cruel smile.
James saw it.
The sight made his blood boil, but he swallowed his rage, knowing that one wrong word could get her killed.
Zolton was relishing the feeling of finally getting revenge on James and then proceeded to hand him a parchment containing the details of the quest.
"This!" James' expression hardened the moment he read the quest details.
Before Sera could even ask what it was, Zolton jumped in with a jovial voice.
"Ah! Don't worry. We know you cannot do it alone, so we have assigned some people to assist you."
His smile widened unnaturally.
"Of course, you are allowed to hire more people… at your own expense," he chuckled softly. "Though I think you will have a hard time getting them—given your… reputation. Am I right?"
Zolton grinned, his smile now stretching almost to his ear, making his already ugly fox-like face look even more disgusting.
He was practically bubbly with satisfaction, but his smile cracked the next instant.
The moment he spotted a figure descending from the stairs.
Pink hair. Pink eyes. A striking, captivating body.
Lily.
Why is she here? What happened to Arnold? Zolton wondered.
Then he noticed another figure just behind her.
How is he alive?! Did those bastards cheat me again… or…
His gaze shifted. James stood there, holding the parchment in his hand, reading.
An assumption quickly formed in his mind: the man must have protected them.
This bastard! I need to instruct those people to kill him as ruthlessly as possible… and when he is nothing but a mutilated corpse… I will fuck his wife in front of it.
But just as quickly, Zolton adjusted himself, forcing his smile back into place, and started moving out of the restaurant, not before giving a dramatic sweep of his cloak. But as he left, he caught Leo's gaze—cold and unyielding.
Zolton let out a quiet scoff.
"Hah… common rank trash… I will deal with you myself. But first…"
Once he reached a secluded spot, he summoned his Hyena.
The creature emerged, its dark grey fur streaked in red and orange, making it look unique. Its jaws remained hanging open, thick saliva dripping from its mouth and onto the ground, its breath hot and feral.
He pulled out a core from his pocket and tossed it towards it.
"Go on. Eat nicely. Soon you will be reaching 2-star… and then I can finally get more money. Hah… hahahah."
_____
"James… what is the quest about?" Sera asked, her hands trembling as she clutched his arms.
James' eyes narrowed.
"It's a nest cleanup mission…" he said slowly, his jaw tightening.
"The nest belongs to… Cedar Treants."
Sera clenched his shirt tightly.
"No! You will not go." Her voice shook, panic clear in her eyes. "Let them reduce your rank if they want; they are just telling you to die. And even those people assigned to you? They are definitely sent to kill you!"
Cedar Treants were monsters infamous for their immense defence and rapid regeneration.
Unless a lethal blow was delivered, they simply couldn't be killed.
And James… with his current weakened state, wasn't in any condition to face them.
After the ambush, only one of his beasts remained. While thankfully, his uncommon soul wasn't damaged, he had lost most of his skills. He was still recovering from the venom left by a poisonous serpent, which had forced him to take a leave from the Beast Hall.
And now, suddenly, that leave had been revoked.
It wasn't hard to see why.
This was clearly influenced by the Baron.
Zerek.
The reason Baron was so hellbent on getting rid of James was because they had been rivals, equals who knew each other's strengths and weaknesses.
But fortunately or unfortunately, Zerek had risen first, reaching Knight Commander (a High 2-star), and through some connections, he secured the position of Baron, which was only allowed when someone reached Peak 2-star.
The truth, however, was far less impressive.
From what James had guessed, Zerek wasn't able to advance any further and was stuck at that level.
If this were to be discovered by the authorities, he would be stripped of power, demoted, and exposed.
So to get rid of any loose ends, Zerek decided to chose the simple path.
Get rid of the one person who knew.
This decision was only reinforced when James was advancing at an explosive speed. He had reached the Knight Commander rank in a short time and was well on his way to becoming a baron himself.
And Zerek couldn't allow that.
Now not only did he have dirt on him, but he was even at the risk of loosing his position.
So, he set a trap.
Under the guise of goodwill, he gave a mission to James, saying that it would help him advance, and set up an ambush.
That day, James lost everything. His strongest beast, the Nether Bull, along with two others.
He barely escaped with his life, but his rank dropped to intermediate 2-star, and since then, he has been wary of Zerek.
But today…
Zerek had played his cards.
James clenched the parchment in his hand, the paper crumpling as veins bulged along his arms.
"Damn it…" he muttered through his gritted teeth. "If I don't do this mission, they will demote me to Knight… and then he can kill me without consequences."